


Hopeless

by ashapoop



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friendship, Gen, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14849409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashapoop/pseuds/ashapoop
Summary: Roy Mustang could be found every Monday, Wednesday and Friday slumped over his notebook in History of Government in room 203B, staring at the pretty blonde across the lecture hall who always looked laser focused and had an array of colored highlighters sticking out of her sleek bun. He didn’t know much about her besides her name and the fact that he was overwhelmed by how beautiful she was.





	Hopeless

Roy Mustang could be found every Monday, Wednesday and Friday slumped over his notebook in History of Government in room 203B, staring at the pretty blonde across the lecture hall who always looked laser focused and had an array of colored highlighters sticking out of her sleek bun. He didn’t know much about her besides her name and the fact that he was overwhelmed by how beautiful she was. Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to add a girl on Snapchat or smirk at a prospective hookup from across the bar but there was an air about this girl, Riza Hawkeye, that was so intimidating and alluring that he knew he needed to do one step better. 

  


This complicated things, though, as he had been classified by his best friend Jean Havoc as a “Class A Fuck Boy”. 

  


The professor, an elderly man that seemed to desperate to get as many paychecks left as he could physically handle, never noticed when his students were on their phones. Even in the front row, Roy could see their lit up screens from his seat against the wall towards the back, but the man up front didn’t bat an eye in their direction. This class was popular across campus, an easy history course that students could watch Netflix in without having to use their own shitty wifi in their shitty apartments. It was convenient in that moment for Roy Mustang as he pulled out his smartphone and shot Havoc a text, torn and full of typos. 

  


[Fire Lord 1:43 PM]  


Bro… how teh fcuk do i tlak to riza?????? Im mcfreakinl osing my mind???????????

  


[Country Boy, I Love You 1:45 PM]  


I thot u turned on auto-correct dude lmfao dam

  


[Fire Lord 1:46 PM]  


U thot wrong! Hahaahh!!! U thot!

  


[Country Boy, I Love You 1:47 PM]  


Fuck u no help 4 u now

  


[Fire Lord 1:50 PM]  


I;ll give u livs #

  


[Country Boy, I Love You 1:50 PM]  


AIGHT SO

  


  


Roy locked his phone and slid it into his bag as the bell rang, a satisfied smile on his face due to the genius that was Jean Havoc. His advice was simple: get an in. Thankfully, Roy thought to himself, he had an in. An old friend from his economics class that he… hadn’t talked to since. Would he be bitter about the lack of communication since then?

  


There was only one way to find out. 

  


“Hey, Hughes!” Roy called after the retreating figure, waving his arm.  


“Oh, hey Mustang! I didn’t know you were in this class!” Maes replied happily.  


“Yeah, we just sit on opposite sides of the room.”  


“Makes sense, makes sense. Cool. Alright, so what do you need?”  


“Could I borrow your notes from this class? I might have… fallen asleep.” Roy lied with a sheepish grin, scratching at the back of his neck.  


“Ha! Sure thing, my guy! Lucky I got Hawkeye to smack me whenever I start dozin’.”  


“Oh… Hawkeye?” Roy asked innocently.  


“Yeah, the girl that sits to my left! A miracle worker and total genius even if she’s stiff as a dead body.”  


“Right… huh. How do you know her?”  


“We lived on the same block growing up and she helped me find my dog when he ran out one afternoon. A total saint and adores dogs. What more could you ask for?”  


“You’re absolutely right.”  


“Well, here’s my notebook. I gotta head out but I’ll see ya Wednesday!”  


“Thanks, Hughes. See you then.” 

  


Roy walked into the lecture hall that Wednesday, hardly able to hold back a laugh as he held Hughes’s notebook clutched in his hand. This was the second time the man had actually held the thing, the first time being when he took it out of his bag and discarded it on the floor behind his headboard. What his friend would think was two nights of diligently copying notes was actually spent in a bean bag chair with a mixed drink while he played a paper ball tossing game on his cell phone. 

  


“Roy!” a voice called. “Come sit over here!” 

  


The dark haired man walked down the aisle, closer to Maes and Riza, before holding out the notebook. Maes took it with a grin before taking his backpack off the seat next to him, lifting his chin towards it. Roy sat down gratefully before leaning forward, raising a brow at Riza. 

  


It was time. 

  


“Hey,” he introduced, sticking his hand out. “I’m Roy Mustang.”  


“Pleasure,” she said, jotting something down in her notebook before glancing up at him. “Riza Hawkeye.”  


“And I’m Maes Hughes, now that we’re all happy and introduced.” 

  


It continued this way for two more weeks: Roy would waltz over to his seat on the right of Maes, lean forward to try and say something to Riza, and then Maes would interrupt and babble until class began. There was a small part of Roy that felt guilty for being annoyed when Maes interrupted him but for the most part… he was definitely annoyed. He wanted to get to know the blonde but it was hard when saying anything triggered a Maes Hughes. Nevertheless, Roy Mustang persisted.

  


The Friday before finals was a morning that felt different to the dark haired man, with the sun shining and his coffee extra hot and his arrival to class before a certain friend of his but after a particular crush he had. He shot a quick text to Jean Havoc, receiving a winking emoji in response, before he slid into his seat and calmly got his things out. 

  


“Morning, Mustang,” Riza said, glancing over and raising a brow. “Nice to actually see you for once.” 

  


It took everything in the man to not do a double take, eyes widening before he coughed and shook his head with a soft smile. Keep a cool exterior, have a panicking interior -- that was always the key. She was flirting with him, Roy was almost positive of that much, and that was one thing he was excellent at. 

  


“It’s a much needed breath of fresh air,” Roy chuckled, resting his cheek against his fist. “As much fun as Hughes is… you’re plenty fun too.”  


“Is that so?”  


“Absolutely.” 

  


The corners of Riza’s mouth slowly upturned and it made Roy’s heart skip a beat. He watched, an intense fire in his eyes, as she opened her mouth only for another voice to be heard. 

  


“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late, my alarm didn’t go off! Haha!” 

  


Before Roy could do something embarrassing like let out a groan, their professor clapped and called attention to the front of the room. It seemed the sun wasn’t going to shine too bright for him today. There was a ping in his pocket but Roy found himself too embarrassed to update Jean -- he would have had taken Riza out on three dates by now. The man couldn’t help but sit back in his seat and wonder about his technique. Had he gotten weak? Had he gotten less suave? Had he gotten… less attractive? What if he--?

  


“So you like Riza, huh?”  


“Wh--?” Roy sputtered, eyes wide as he looked over at his friend’s grin. “Shh! Don’t just--!”  


“She’s not listening,” he whispered. “She’s in her academic zone.”  


“I… whatever. How did you, you know… figure it out?”  


“You aren’t subtle, buddy. Especially just now with your bedroom eyes.”  


“They were not!”  


“So you wanna go to the bars this weekend?”  


“Sure,” Roy said after a moment, raising a brow at the smirk on his friend’s face.  


“Perfect. Hey, Riza?”  


“What?” she asked, barely casting a glance towards Hughes.  


“Bars tomorrow with Roy?”  


“Sure.” 

  


Between panicking and doing all his laundry and then FaceTiming Havoc, Roy most definitely would have been late it he didn’t speed the whole way to the bar. His palms were sweaty, slipping and sliding on his steering wheel, and he hastily wiped them off on his jeans before entering the bar. He glanced around, not too much of a crowd for a Thursday evening, before he heard that familiar booming voice. 

  


“Roy, buddy! Over here!” 

  


He looked up and saw Maes Hughes perched at the bar on a wobbling stool, a wide grin on his face and his face flushed. As Roy stepped closer, he also saw two shot glasses next to the man’s hand and let out a laugh to himself. 

  


“Looks like I’ll need to catch up,” he chuckled as he slid onto the neighboring stool, nodding towards the bartender and holding up two fingers.  


“So, I’ve got some bad news… Riza got roped into helping a useless partner on a project so she’ll be late.”  


“That’s not so bad.”  


“Like in three hours late.”  


“Oh… I mean… at least you’re here?” Roy gambled, glancing over at the man. 

  


The smile on the man’s face was bright and Roy felt a small smile tugging up on his own lips before two shot glasses were before him and he handed off his card for an open tab in return. He tossed them back easily, shaking his head with that same small smile as Hughes cheered him on before he began to talk about his favorite drinks there. And as minutes turned to hours, their bellies were sloshing and their mouths were moving more and more loosely about things such as religion, politics, and… 

  


“Maes, bro… I think I love her.” Roy groaned, forehead resting on the bartop.  


“I know, buddy, and it’s okay! She’s perfect!”  


“You know who else is perfect?”  


“Who, man?”  


“You.”  


“Roooooooy!” Maes gushed, playfully pushing Roy’s shoulder before the man toppled off completely.  


“Maybe it’s time to lay off the alcohol, boys,” the bartender chuckled, shaking her head.  


“Maybe so!” Maes laughed. 

  


The man got off his stool clumsily before throwing his hand out to help his best friend up. Roy grabbed on gratefully and with some work they were both standing and heading towards the door, arms wrapped around one another. 

  


“I don’t even mind that she didn’t come, man. This was so fun!” Roy slurred as they got through the door.  


“That who didn’t come?” a voice asked.  


“Oh my god,” Roy whispered before turning around slowly, seeing the blonde beauty entering the bar. “Hawkeye?”  


“How drunk are you two?”  


“I love you with all my gut! I mean my heart!” 

  


And that was when Roy Mustang proceeded to throw up everything in his gut on Riza Hawkeye’s newest pair of boots worn specially for the occasion.

**Author's Note:**

> My first serious fic in this fandom so pls be nice. It's 2018 and I've finally finished 03 and am halfway through BHood! Here's my [Tumblr](http://iwizumi.tumblr.com/) and [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/P5P89T0S) (will write one shots for any character/pairing that I have a well enough grasp on for one coffee!), so come be my friend!


End file.
